Reuters is ready to stand up for the press — and embrace AI

Decoder with Nilay Patel

Vox Media Podcast Network

Technology, Business

4.3 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 8 May 2025

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Today, I’m talking with Paul Bascobert, who is the president of Reuters, as part of a special Thursday series we’re running this month to explore how leaders at some world’s biggest companies make decisions in such a rapidly changing environment. Reuters is a great company for us to kick off with, because it’s been around since 1851, when the hot technology enabling mass media was the telegraph. Here, today, in 2025, the tech driving media has clearly changed more than a little bit. Distribution in a world full of iPhones and generative AI is a really different proposition than distributing media 50 years before the invention of the radio. So there’s a lot here, and you’ll hear Paul and I get deep into basically every Decoder theme there is. Links: The Trust Principles | Reuters Brendan Carr’s FCC is an anti-consumer, rights-trampling harassment machine | Verge AP wins reinstatement to White House events | AP NYT publisher AG Sulzberger on Trump, OpenAI and the economy | Channels Dow Jones CEO Almar Latour on AI, press freedom, and the future of news | Decoder Platforms need the news — but they’re killing it | Decoder Why The Atlantic signed a deal with OpenAI | Decoder Platformer’s Casey Newton on surviving the great media collapse | Decoder Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. Our editor is Ursa Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:31.4	That's G-R-U-N-S.co, using code Vox for 45% off.
0:36.9	Thank you. dot co using code box for 45% off.
0:44.3	Hello and welcome to Decoder. I'm Eli Patel, editor-in-chief of The Verge, and Decoder is my show about big ideas and other problems.
0:47.5	Today I'm talking with Paul Baskillare, the president of Reuters, the news and information
0:51.6	service that you have undoubtedly heard of.
0:57.6	This is part of a special Thursday series we're running this month to explore how leaders that some of the world's biggest companies make decisions in such a rapidly changing environment.
1:02.4	You know, Dakota stuff.
1:04.0	Paul and Reuters are perfect for us to kick off with, because Reuters has been around for basically
1:08.3	forever.
1:09.3	The company was founded in 1851 when the
1:12.0	hot technology enabling new kinds of media was the telegraph, and the entire concept of a wire
1:17.4	service was a wild new idea. Here, today in 2025, the technology driving media has clearly
1:23.9	changed more than just a little bit. Distribution in a world full of iPhones,
1:27.8	generative AI, is a really different proposition
1:30.0	than distributing media 50 years before the invention of the radio.
1:33.9	It's even a pretty different proposition now than it was 20, 30, or even five years ago
1:38.4	in the web 1.0 and 2.0 eras.
	...

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